Inappropriate
by Dark Ice Dragon
Summary: This crush was completely inappropriate for a noble like himself. ·Regis/M-21·


**Summary**: This crush was completely inappropriate for a noble like himself.

Contains Regis/M-21.

Set after 154.

Written for the prompt, 'Noblesse, M-21/Regis: attraction - This crush is completely inappropriate for a noble like himself' for springkink.

When I label pairings, the first name is the narrative character, in case you were wondering. ^ ^

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><p><strong><strong><strong><strong>Inappropriate <strong>******

By Dark Ice Dragon

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><p>Regis found his gaze drifting towards M-21 for the third time that night; frowning at his continued lapse in control, Regis dragged his attention back to his dinner. Seira would have already seen his preoccupation, and Regis didn't doubt Frankenstein and Rai knew either.<p>

The question was whether M-21 had noticed.

He was fairly sure M-21 was completely unaware and that Takeo and Tao were similarly ignorant. M-21 wouldn't be acting the same as he did normally did, and Regis _knew_ if either Takeo or Tao knew, they would tell each other and Tao, at least, would corner him and ask _questions_. Regis wasn't sure what exactly Tao would ask, but he could just picture Tao's enthusiastic grin looming over him.

This…_crush_ he had on M-21 was completely inappropriate for a noble like himself. M-21 was barely a tenth his age, yet acted older than him – in human years, M-21 _was_older than him. Even so…

M-21 was different from what Regis had rashly assumed of him when they first met. The more Regis found out about M-21, the more time he spent with him, the more the respect for him grew: M-21 wasn't afraid to talk back to him (in truth, Regis enjoyed their verbal sparring; it kept his mind sharp), which was a change after being treated as a superior being in Lukedonia by the humans there; he was protective of the children enough to die for them (and Regis cursed himself for taking so long to realise it, to be so blind that he hadn't known until it had nearly happened in front of his eyes); he was fiercely loyal to those few he gave his trust to, and Regis would be confident that his back was well-protected if M-21 was there.

When Regis realised that his gaze had started to move towards M-21 again, he shook his head and tried to think about something else. He may entertain those thoughts, but it would come to nothing in the end.

xOx

Regis frowned at the empty seats and the dirty plates still sitting at the table. Everyone else, barring himself and M-21, had left in a relative hurry, including Takeo, whose job it was to help clean up after dinner. Frankenstein had been the one to call Takeo away though -to call both Takeo and Tao away- so no-one could say they were shirking their duties.

M-21 merely huffed softly and reached for the closest plate. "Are you all right?" M-21 asked, glancing at him.

Regis twitched. He'd noticed! Only that he had been distracted, he reassured himself. "I'm fine," Regis lied smoothly.

M-21 raised an eyebrow and then left the plate where it was so he could cross his arms.

Regis hid a wince. He could read him far too well. When M-21 still didn't move, waiting patiently for a response, Regis sighed. He did not enjoy keeping secrets anyway.

"I…" Regis started cautiously, his heart beginning to race in his chest. _Now _his gaze wanted to slide away, but he didn't let it, resolutely keeping eye contact with M-21. "I…have a crush on you, and have for some time now."

He could feel embarrassment squirm in his stomach as he saw a wry smile grow on M-21's face. "I know."

Regis couldn't stop his eyes widening or his mouth gaping. He _knew? _"But…you're not…" M-21 still acted the same, and didn't treat him differently from how he usually did.

And while M-21's answer wasn't an outright rejection, it wasn't acceptance either.

Regis eyed M-21, wondering if he would say anything else.

M-21 snorted and turned away to start clearing the table again. "You were expecting flowers and chocolate?"

Regis flinched, hurt swirling in him. No, he hadn't expected anything, but he had hoped… In silence, Regis also began to clear the table; he wouldn't run away – cleaning the table was not his duty, but M-21 had helped him enough when he didn't need to, and Regis had already offered to help him. He wouldn't go back on his word.

He was successful in blanking his mind through the task as he carried the plates and cutlery through, but he eventually failed once they were in the sink.

'_You were expecting flowers and chocolate?_'

Of course he wasn't expecting _either _of them from M-21 – he wouldn't be M-21 if he…

"Oh." Regis stared at the dirty washing as the realisation sunk in.

There was a chuckle behind him, and Regis looked over his shoulder to see M-21 smirking behind him.

"You really have been affected badly if it took you that long."

Hah. Regis returned his smirk, joy swelling in his heart, and prepared for another verbal spar.

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><p>Meanwhile, in the background, Takeo and Tao are right up against the door, wanting to know what's happening. Tao, unfortunately, can't understand them. XDD<p> 


End file.
